The Price of a Happy Ending
by sniperpal
Summary: Relentless evil. Inescapable duty. Undying hope. Remnant's darkest hours draw ever closer as warriors of the four Kingdoms forge onward from the ashes of Beacon. The road ahead is laden with pain, deceit, and loss, but Ruby Rose was never one to give up. Alongside allies old and new, she will stand and fight against the coming storm... and she will learn what peace truly costs.
1. Chapter 1: Fall

_Hey everybody. It's been a while since I posted a chapter of anything, but I'm happy to finally present this first installment of what I hope will be a fun and worthwhile project set in the world of Remnant. I'm immensely enjoying the progress RWBY has made, and even with the heartbreaking loss of the brilliance that was Monty Oum, the show and fandom are still going strong. This is my re-imagining of the last act of Volume 4 and where the series will go from there, as I've been inspired to try my hand at envisioning a future for the series. I fervently hope you all enjoy this story as much as I do!_

 _P.S. Big shout out to TheLastSonata and TheSwedishMoose for reviewing my drafts and giving me great feedback on this, and Couer Al'Aran for inspiring me to write RWBY stories in the first place. Please go check out all their works!_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

 **Fall**

" _Jaune..."_

" _Hmm?"_

" _I don't know what to do."_

" _W-What do you mean?"_

" _Do you believe in destiny?"_

" _Um... I-I don't know. I guess that depends on how you view it."_

" _When I think of destiny, I don't think of a predetermined fate you can't escape. But rather... some sort of final goal, something you work towards your entire life."_

" _Okay. Uh, yeah. I can see that, sure."_

" _Well... what would you do if something came along that you... never expected? Something that had the potential to stand between you and your destiny?"_

" _Like what?"_

" _Or what if you could suddenly fulfill your destiny in an instant, but at the cost of who you were?"_

" _Pyrrha, you're not making any sense."_

" _None of it makes sense! This isn't how things were supposed to happen!"_

" _I'm sorry! Please, I-I'm just trying to understand what's wrong."_

" _I've always felt as though I was destined to become a Huntress - to protect the world... and it's become increasingly clear to me that my feelings were right. But...I don't know if I can do it."_

" _Of course, you can. The Pyrrha Nikos I know would never back down from a challenge. And if you really believe it's your destiny to save the world... you can't let anything stand in your way."_

* * *

Pyrrha pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, gasping for air.

All that was visible of her enemy was a dark outline, hovering above the floor. Roaring flame and searing heat surrounded her, encroaching upon where she lay. Milo was lost, destroyed in the fight, and her Aura had to be almost drained. The massive eyes of the Grimm Dragon peered into the tower from the other side of a broken wall—yet another impossible foe to overcome.

And she was so tired…

 _(If I do not get up, I am going to die.)_

Pyrrha repeated that one phrase in her head like a mantra. Never had she been in a true fight to the death. No Grimm had ever managed to truly threaten her life and she'd never fought another human with intent to kill.

Here and now, however, she knew she would not leave the tower alive if she lost.

Through the inferno flew yet another stream of searing flame, and Pyrrha's instincts kicked in, her endless training overcoming her exhaustion. She dove forward, under the attack and through the surrounding fire, coming up in a roll and hurling Akouo in one smooth motion.

As always, her shield flew true, but the woman called Cinder Fall simply brushed it aside with one glowing hand as she remained hovering in midair. She looked amused, as if Pyrrha's attempts to fight back were no longer a concern. Pyrrha glared right back at her, still defiant.

 _(Not yet. I'm not finished yet.)_

The Dragon perched outside had smashed the top of the CCTS tower to pieces; rubble was everywhere and the floor was cracked and crumbling in places, burning wherever Cinder had unleashed her frightening power. Ozpin's desk and other furniture lay broken and scattered all over the room. Amongst the ruin, large metal gears lay scattered all around, bent and twisted pieces of what had just recently been a marvelous feat of technology.

Now, as Pyrrha stood and unleashed the full might of her Semblance, they had become her last hope.

Always she had practiced restraint, never letting the control over magnetism that she had been born with slip, never revealing how much influence it gave her over her opponents. When the thought of the burden Ozpin had asked her to bear overwhelmed her, she had thrown Jaune into a wall without thinking. When Penny had brought forth a storm of swords in their match, she had panicked and pushed it all away with a desperate surge of her power.

The sight of Penny's weapons tearing her apart was exactly why Pyrrha had always feared losing control over her Semblance.

But now there was no need or time for restraint. Only the full extent of her gifts would be enough to end the fight. She reached out to the metal, felt it's familiar pull against her arms, the steel and iron becoming an extension of herself, and she willed it all to rise. Throughout the shattered and burning tower, a mass of gears flew into the air, surrounding Cinder Fall on every side.

Cinder had a moment to process the sight in surprise before Pyrrha recalled Akouo with a wave of her hand, the shield slamming into the back of Cinder's legs and throwing her off balance before returning to Pyrrha's left arm. Another wave brought the first of the gears down upon Cinder's torso, smashing her into the floor in a cloud of dust.

Pyrrha's hands came together, and every gear and cog under her influence descended, merging on the spot where Cinder lay, the ring of metal hammering into metal drowning out the faint sounds of the battle below the tower and the roars of the Grimm. Gears bent and twisted as they melded together, forming a steel coffin for her enemy that continually folded in on itself.

Overwhelming pressure from every side. The tried and true method for draining an opponent's Aura as quickly as possible, and her only chance for a victory. She would entomb Cinder Fall and crush the life from her before she could hurt or kill anyone else. The thought of killing another human had always horrified Pyrrha, but for this woman, she would make an exception.

At the center of the metal mass, an orange glow flared up, burning brighter with every passing second. Pyrrha felt resistance growing through her Semblance, a huge pressure that made her strain to hold the pile of metal together. She gritted her teeth and put everything she had into her Semblance, refusing to let Cinder break free.

 _(Just a little more and she'll be finished. A little more…)_

The pile exploded in a blazing fireball.

Chunks of metal hurtled in every direction, some of the gears literally torn in half by the power of the blast, and one large piece sailed directly towards Pyrrha. She had just enough time to raise Akouo before the debris impacted, but her shield did little to absorb the blow. Pyrrha was sent flying back, all the wind knocked out of her, and she hit the floor right in front of the edge of the tower.

And slid straight towards the open air.

In the moment before she fell, Pyrrha grabbed at a chunk of ruined wall left after the Dragon's attack. Her grip tightened on the small pile of rubble and rebar right as she slipped over the edge, and then she was hanging off the edge of the tower, a hundred meters above the grounds of Beacon upon which the battle against the Grimm still raged. Utterly exhausted but determined to keep fighting, she started to pull herself back up, groaning from the effort.

Only to find Cinder Fall standing right above her, swords of black glass gripped in her hands.

Cinder grinned and stabbed one of the blades down at Pyrrha, who let go of the rubble with her left hand and quickly raised Akouo. Her shield took the hit, but Pyrrha couldn't block properly from such an awkward position, and her arm was knocked away. Akouo spun from her grasp, falling to the ground far below, and Pyrrha tried to recall it before Cinder could strike again.

Nothing happened. Her Semblance wouldn't activate.

Her Aura was gone.

The realization sent a wave of despair through Pyrrha even as she turned and heaved herself upwards with a shout, reaching out with her left hand for Cinder's leg, trying to drag the other woman off the edge as well.

A black sword descended, its point driving through Pyrrha's outstretched hand and pinning it to the floor. The pain was sudden, intense, and Pyrrha cried out in agony as her arm spasmed. Tears filled her vision as Cinder dug the blade in further, twisting as she did, before releasing the sword and standing. Pyrrha hung half in and out of the tower, painfully stuck in place by the blade that she strained to pull out with her free hand.

When the pain became too great to continue, Pyrrha slumped against the floor, each breath coming out as half a sob. A small pool of blood formed around her left hand, reflecting the light of the surrounding fires. Black high-heels clicked on the floor as Cinder walked around her and knelt, gently cupping Pyrrha's face in one hand and raising it to meet her gaze.

Glowing amber eyes stared into emerald green for a long moment, and Cinder murmured in a quiet tone, "It's unfortunate you were promised a power that was never truly yours. But take comfort in knowing that I will use it in ways you could never have imagined."

Pyrrha looked up at her enemy, feeling the weight of her failure as she heard the words. The power she had just witnessed would be unleashed on all of Remnant. Cinder Fall would wreak havoc everywhere, just as she had here at Beacon. Mistral, her home _,_ would suffer this same fate.

Grief and fury surged through her in a sudden rush. She could not bear the sight of the woman in front of her, could not fathom someone planning to cause such pain and misery. The pain, the exhaustion, the knowledge that she was about to die—all of it went away as Pyrrha yanked her head out of Cinder's grasp and fixed her with a cold stare.

"Do you believe in destiny?"

A frown appeared on Cinder's face, and she stood up straight and took a step away from Pyrrha. For a long moment, she stared down at the defeated Huntress in contemplation before giving a simple reply.

"Yes."

Cinder gestured, and the blade stuck in Pyrrha's hand broke apart and flew upwards in a cluster of black glass.

Pyrrha slid backwards and over the edge.

* * *

A Beowolf leaped at Ruby's back and found Myrtenaster waiting for it, the rapier's point ramming home into the beast's skull. Weiss quickly yanked her weapon out and pivoted, slashing at another Beowolf and driving it back before ducking under the swipe of an Ursa's paw and stabbing her blade through the monster's heart with precision.

Ruby heard the thud of the Ursa hitting the ground behind her even as she cleaved the front left leg of a Boarbatusk, letting the strike's momentum carry Crescent Rose around in a circle, the scythe's blade burying itself in the maimed creature's side.

That was three more down. Half a Beowolf pack and another Ursa still surrounded Ruby and Weiss in Beacon's courtyard, leaping at the girls and lashing out before retreating from the girls' weapons. A trail of dissolving corpses stretched across the grounds of Beacon behind them, and ahead lay the CCTS tower, the massive Dragon now latched onto the side opposite from them at the top.

Ruby glanced upwards as the Alpha Beowolf she had just put a bullet through fell back, growling in pain. She wasn't foolish enough to think they could kill… whatever that huge Grimm was, Dragon or otherwise. If it attacked them, escaping would become a much more difficult task.

Especially if Pyrrha was unable to escape alongside them under her own power.

 _(Please be alright, Pyrrha. We're almost there…)_

The plan was simple in theory. They would get close to the tower, have Weiss utilize her glyphs to turn the side of the tower into a surface Ruby could run on, and then Ruby would charge up to the top, grab Pyrrha, and run right back down. She would have to be quick, or Weiss would get overwhelmed trying to maintain her Semblance and fight off Grimm at the same time.

However, reaching the base of the tower meant finishing off the Grimm around them first. The Alpha Beowolf charged back in, ignoring the bullet in its arm in favor of tearing apart the humans standing before it. It got within two paces and raised one arm to bring its claws down on Ruby's head.

She sidestepped the blow, lopped off the Grimm's arm, and plunged Crescent Rose into its chest from below before firing and blasting a hole through the monster. The Alpha Beowolf went down, twitching once before falling still, and Ruby moved on to one of the last two Beowolves, ducking to avoid its pounce and bringing Crescent Rose up and around, hammering the blade down into its skull before it could turn back to try again.

Beside her, Weiss struck down the other Beowolf, Myrtenaster cutting deep between its ribs, before turning and thrusting her sword at the remaining Ursa as sparks flickered around the blade. Flames erupted from Myrtenaster's tip, and the Ursa stumbled backwards, roaring in agony as fire consumed it.

"We've gotta hurry!" Ruby called out over the death cries of the burning Ursa. Weiss nodded and took off at a run with Ruby hot on her heels, sprinting the remaining distance to the tower.

When they were within twenty meters, Weiss stopped and focused, pointing one hand at the tower and projecting a glyph onto its side. With a wave of her hand, a line of the similar glyphs formed above the original, stretching to the edge of the tower's shattered top. Ruby looked up at the huge building, praying that she would be in time even as she prepared to activate her own Semblance.

"You can do this," Weiss murmured from behind her, confidence in her voice. Ruby met her partner's eyes and smiled gratefully before turning back towards the tower, bending her knees and letting her Semblance flow through her body, filling her limbs with unbridled energy.

With one leap, Ruby crossed the distance and landed against the tower, parallel to the ground as rose petals fluttered downwards in her wake. She immediately started sprinting up the wall, ignoring the weird feeling of gravity pulling at her from one direction and Weiss' glyphs pulling at her from another. All that mattered was reaching the top in time.

With her Semblance's power surging through her body as she charged up the tower, Ruby's senses shifted as the world slowed down relative to her own perception. She saw Griffins flying lazy circles in the skies above, smoke spiraling upward at a snail's pace from all over Beacon and Vale, a fireball slowly blazing to life as an Atlas ship exploded in midair.

She saw a flash of red and bronze falling through the air above her as if dropping through water. A moment later, Ruby realized that it was Pyrrha falling headfirst towards the ground, unarmed and eyes closed.

She was falling to her death.

Fear and adrenaline surged through Ruby's body as she undid her Semblance and the world reverted to normal speed. She slid to a stop, whipped Crescent Rose around, and slammed it into the tower before pushing off Weiss' glyphs and flipping over the huge scythe. She yanked the blade free and pulled the trigger, the momentum of the shot propelling her away from the wall and into the path of Pyrrha's descent.

A moment passed in which Ruby frantically wondered how to get Pyrrha to the ground safely, and then the girls slammed into each other. The painful collision turned Ruby's horizontal flight into a downward tumble, and she tried to fight off sudden dizziness as the world spun around in sickening circles.

"Hold on!" Ruby tried to yell over the noise of the wind rushing by them. She couldn't hear if Pyrrha replied; she could hardly hear herself. Up was down and then up again as Ruby fumbled with Crescent Rose with one arm and hugged Pyrrha tightly with the other. Firing her weapon once, Ruby halted their spin with the shot's recoil, finally regaining her sense of direction... and seeing the grounds of Beacon rushing up to meet them.

She frantically switched her grip on Crescent Rose to the hand she had around Pyrrha and racked the weapon's bolt with her free hand, aiming awkwardly and getting off two quick shots before she and Pyrrha hit the ground. Her efforts had only partially slowed their fall, and even with her Aura up, the impact _hurt_ ; she lost her grip on Pyrrha and Crescent Rose, and Ruby went sprawling across the grass, trying to roll with the landing like Uncle Qrow taught her to until she came to a stop.

Ruby lay still for a moment, catching the breath that had been knocked out of her. It felt like her efforts over the course of the terrible evening—fighting Mercury and the Grimm at the stadium, taking down Torchwick and Neo on the warship from Atlas, and now this—were catching up to her all at once. Her whole body hurt and her limbs trembled from the exertion she had forced them through.

Trying to ignore the pain, Ruby pushed herself onto her hands and knees, looking around and seeing Pyrrha on the ground a few meters away. She lay on her back, her right leg bent at an odd angle, and she wasn't moving or making any noise. Fear clutching at her heart, Ruby stood on shaky legs and stumbled over to the prone form of her friend.

"Pyrrha?" she asked as she collapsed to her knees next the other girl. "Pyrrha, please, _please_ say something…"

When she lay a hand on Pyrrha's chest, relief flooded through Ruby as she felt the rise and fall of a breath. It was faint, indiscernible except from up close, but it was there. She was unconscious yet she was still alive, still with them.

However, relief turned to slight nausea when Ruby looked Pyrrha over. A bruise was forming around a cut on Pyrrha's forehead, just below her dented circlet, with more blooming elsewhere on her body. There was a terrible, gaping wound through her left hand, and worst of all, jagged bone stuck through the skin of her lower right leg where it bent unnaturally. Lines of blood trickled from all three injuries.

Ruby felt grateful that Pyrrha was knocked out; she couldn't imagine how much pain her friend would be in otherwise. With great care, Ruby draped Pyrrha's arms over her shoulders before lifting the taller girl up and standing. It was awkward carrying someone bigger than herself—Pyrrha's legs dragged on the grass, and Ruby hoped she wasn't making her friend's terrible injuries worse, but they had to move.

She could see Crescent Rose lying in the grass several meters from her, and further away, Weiss running towards her, a long tear in her dress but otherwise unharmed. More Grimm corpses were dissolving in her wake, and the path back to the airship pads looked clear.

A weary smile spread across Ruby's face as she started carrying Pyrrha towards Weiss, stopping for a moment to bend down and press the button on Crescent Rose's handle to collapse the weapon. She picked up her scythe and kept walking, wearily putting one foot in front of the other, making her way to Weiss and to safety.

"Just hang on, Pyrrha," Ruby murmured to the girl on her shoulder. "We're all getting out of here. Together."

* * *

 _(What an impressive little girl.)_

With Grimm overrunning Beacon and the Dragon still perched on the tower, raining monsters from its body and ready to wreak further havoc, Cinder had expected the defenders to be retreating or fighting for their lives. The possibility of a someone pulling off a mid-air rescue after ascending the outside of the tower had not occurred to her.

However, Ruby Rose seemed to be making a habit of defying expectations and interfering with her affairs.

She could see them far below on the ground, tiny like the insects they were when compared to her might. The Rose girl seemed to be picking up Nikos and carrying her across Beacon's grounds. Even with her Aura down, it seemed Pyrrha Nikos had survived the fall, for what purpose would carrying a corpse serve when danger still loomed on all sides?

 _(Perhaps an arrow through the eye would have been a wiser choice.)_

Still, it had felt fitting, appropriate even, to send Pyrrha Nikos falling back down to the ground after the girl had tried to reach for a power far above her. Cinder wondered if her flair for the dramatic was getting out of hand. For someone of ultimately little consequence like Nikos, it had hardly seemed that indulging herself would matter.

Nevertheless…

Nikos knew about the Maidens now, and had displayed surprising fortitude even in the face of her death. Ruby Rose had proven time and again to be a capable thorn in her side.

And both were now directly below her, doubtlessly in poor fighting condition.

Cinder flexed her fingers, smiling as she felt the Maiden's power flow through her, caressing her very being. It was an exquisite pleasure to wield such a gift, and although she was somewhat weary from her bouts with Ozpin and Nikos, she could instinctively feel that there was power to spare within her.

Enough to end the night by tying up some loose ends.

Cinder turned towards the other side of the tower, fixing the Dragon's large eyes with her own golden ones and smiling warmly. She stepped towards the creature, feeling its subservient demeanor, the monster waiting on her will as everyone and everything would in time.

"Fly," she murmured softly. "Feast. Destroy. This is your home now. Do as you please with it."

The Dragon screeched and flapped its wings, gusts of wind buffeting the ruined tower as the monster launched off the side and flipped over, gliding through the air and heading out towards the city of Vale, drops of darkness falling from its body to spawn more monsters on the ground below.

Cinder turned back towards the ledge she had dropped Nikos from, took two quick steps forward, and leapt off the side.

Wind rushed by her face with a howl, blowing her long, dark hair out in a mess behind her, and she laughed with wild abandon at the adrenaline that coursed through her. She could do _anything_ now, and it felt wonderful. The ground rushed towards her at high speed, but she felt not the slightest bit of fear; instead, she felt for the warm, glowing sensation that had filled her since her arrow had plunged into Amber's heart.

She let the power flow through her once more, felt the energy that her body barely contained, raised her hands in front of her and let it free. Jets of flame blasted from her palms, the force immediately slowing her descent even as she adjusted her trajectory away from the base of the tower. Seconds later, Cinder flipped herself upright and landed against the ground and went to one knee, the impact hard but quite manageable.

Her posture was perfect as she stood up straight and smiled at Ruby Rose, who stood frozen in place two meters away, Pyrrha Nikos' head on her shoulder and arms around her as the smaller girl carried the taller on her back.

Abject fear filled Rose's features, and Cinder felt satisfaction as she stepped forward. _This_ was how her enemies would look at her from now on. The young girl tried to draw her weapon with one hand, but encumbered as she was, it was laughably easy to knock the weapon from her grasp with a quick burst of fire.

The slightest flutter of displaced air and the noise of grass crushed beneath a foot behind her alerted Cinder to what she had been waiting for— the Schnee heiress has been hard to miss on the way down, after all. She turned to face her newest opponent, jerked her head to the side as the tip of a blade thrust past her ear, and then lunged inside of Schnee's guard before she could bring her sword back for another strike.

Grabbing the girl's sword hand in a crushing grip that made her cry out in pain, Cinder pulled up to make Schnee stand up straight before hammering her knee into the girl's gut, doubling her over. She tightened her grip until she felt something give, and Schnee's hand spasmed, forcing her to drop her blade. Cinder snatched the weapon out of the air before it could hit the ground and grabbed a fistful of Schnee's dress, swinging her arm around to throw the girl towards Ruby Rose. They collided, and all three girls went down in a heap.

This way, they could all die together. She was kind enough to give them that much.

Another step forward. Cinder heated up her hands, gripping Schnee's thin sword in them. Compared to Nikos' weapon, it melted and broke apart _far_ more easily. The pained gasp of the Schnee girl as Cinder tossed the pieces of the broken sword away broadened her smile.

Now Schnee was staring at her in fear as well, even as she stood up and raised her hands, a small glyph appearing in her palm and a much larger one forming between Cinder and her adversaries.

"None of that," Cinder stated firmly. She gestured, and a stream of flame flew around the side of the glyph barrier, curling around and slamming into Schnee, making the girl cry out and lose her focus. The barrier disappeared, allowing Cinder to hammer the girl off her feet with another blast of fire.

Schnee went down, energy crackling around her as her Aura dissipated. She crawled backwards even as Rose fruitlessly attempted to drag Nikos away, only to relent as Cinder closed the gap. She stood above the girls, staring down with a smirk, savoring her victory.

"Why…?" Rose whispered, tears in her eyes as she stared up at her better. "Why would you do all of this?"

"Pyrrha Nikos tried to take something that doesn't belong to her—that was promised for _me_. This is her punishment. As for all the rest… if you had walked my path, you'd have done the same. Anyone would."

And Cinder knew that was the truth. Anyone who lived her life would make the same choices. To do so was to be human.

She raised one hand, letting the fire fill her palm and expand until a roaring fireball writhed in front of her, ready to be unleashed.

"This is what happens to those who fly too close to the sun, Ruby Rose. They get burned to ash."

Nikos was clearly unconscious, her eyes closed and her breathing faint—she would die unaware, something Cinder would allow for a warrior like her. Rose and Schnee, however, both stared up at her, grief and terror on their faces. Tears filled Rose's silver eyes.

Tears… and something else.

Cinder frowned as a churning sensation filled her gut, her instincts warning her even as she raised her hand and let the power break free. The fireball erupted in a massive cone of fire, consuming the three girls at point blank range.

Except it didn't. Something pushed back.

Cinder felt it an instant before she saw it—a sensation not unlike her new power, but instead of a warm ember within her being, this was a fiery sensation that rippled and surged like a raging river. Around the raging flames in front of her, silvery light flared, painful to look at.

A split second later, the fire dissipated, ripped apart as the silver glow exploded into massive wings of light that spread almost instantly as a wave that enveloped the entire area.

She only had time to scream, "WHAT?!"

And then the wave hit her, and she _burned_.

* * *

"… _It's alright…"_

" _...I got ya, kiddo…"_

"… _I got ya…"_

 ** _End Of Chapter One_**

* * *

 _One thing to bear in mind, my friends. This is not a fix fic. This is not a "save the Arkos" fic. This story will respect just how bad war can be, and I can't guarantee that everyone's favorite characters will survive. I wanted this first chapter to closely resemble volume 3's ending to start the story off somewhere familiar, but afterwards events will deviate further and further from canon._

 _I really hope that was a good foray into this project. I'm really looking forward to working more on the story as volume 5 rolls around. Please let me know your thoughts through reviews or PM, and I will continue to write as fast as possible!_

 _Cheers!_


	2. Chapter 2: The Next Mission

_Hello, readers! Sorry that I've been away for some time. Job interviews have been proving to be a more stressful ordeal than I'd like, but getting hired is worth it._

 _Here is chapter two of my RWBY story. I don't want to settle into an alternating formula of "action chapter, story development chapter, rinse and repeat", but some set up is always necessary. We'll be back with Ruby and Co. next chapter, but for now, enjoy!_

* * *

 **The Next Mission**

The smell of black coffee grains brought James Ironwood back to life from his stupor.

Yawning, he shifted his unfocused gaze off the mountain of papers that covered the mahogany desk before him. It wasn't getting any smaller since he could barely keep his eyes open from lack of sleep. The coffee was his crutch at this point, and his secretary Marron knew it. She'd taken pity on him, though, and a second later she carried in a steaming mug.

Ironwood could have kissed her. As it was, he merely inhaled the welcome scent of coffee grains and cream.

"Good morning, sir. Your coffee." Her perkiness was a lot to deal with this early in the morning, but at least it meant someone had managed to get some sleep last night. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Not right now." He reached for the coffee. "You're a godsend, Marron."

"I know, sir." She grinned before leaving him alone in the office.

Ironwood waited as the door closed. The coffee wouldn't be enough. He tried not to imagine Marron's disapproving eyes as he grabbed his flask from his coat pocket and added a few splashes of bourbon. It was a guilty pleasure he'd picked up from Qrow. Unfortunately, neither of them had ever figured out what Ozpin put in _his_ coffee. They just knew it was something a lot better than whiskey.

The mix of liquor and caffeine brought him back into partial wakefulness. Reinvigorated, he took a long look at all the papers awaiting his inspection. He'd been working as hard as he could lately, but the workload never eased up.

 _(This is madness._ _Take a break, James, or you'll work yourself to death.)_

After another gulp of coffee, Ironwood pushed his chair back and stood up. He gingerly stretched his stiff flesh-and-blood left leg, easing an ache from his joints. Shedding his heavy coat and leaving it on the back of his char, Ironwood took his coffee mug and paced over to the large window that took up half of the east wall of his 30th-floor office in the Atlas military headquarters.

Outside of it lay his city. The place he had sworn to protect from any threat, no matter the cost. Right now, it was half-buried in the heavy snows of early winter, the many high-rises and skyscrapers that dotted the skyline resembling giant columns of ice and frost. Snow had been falling since just before midnight, and the flakes continued to twirl en masse in fluttering paths to the ground.

Lights that shone across the city even at this early hour lit up the blanket of white all over, creating a glittering spectacle that was wondrous to behold. Atlas was a dazzling urban sprawl of far greater magnitude than the capitals of the other three kingdoms, boasting a population of well over ten million residents—by far the largest concentration of humans on the planet.

And with all the fear and suspicion worming its way through the hearts of Atlas' citizens, that concentration was drawing Grimm in large numbers. The defenses of the city had claimed the lives of more Grimm in the last month than they had in the previous two years. Nearly every day saw another report appearing on his desk or scroll about a Grimm incursion being turned back, occasionally at a heavy cost.

The recent invasion of Vale had brought this all about. Images of the mechanized forces of Atlas slaughtering helpless civilians and turning on the troops that depended on them for support had caused an uproar, sending a wave of horror and confusion sweeping through Atlas. Everyone was looking for someone to blame, and many fingers had wound up being pointed at Ironwood, demanding that he explain how such a tragedy could have occurred.

Meetings with the rest of the Council and conferences at venues packed with prominent and influential citizens of Atlas had become Ironwood's waking nightmare since returning to Atlas. He felt overwhelmed in his efforts to convince those that looked to him for leadership and reassurance that things were under control.

The SDC's activities and the divisions they were causing among the lower echelons of Atlas were not helping matters either. The pile of paperwork waiting behind him was largely constituted of missives and prepared speeches related to these daily headaches, with the exception being a small stack of letters that sat in its own corner of the desk.

Consolation letters.

They were by far the worst part of his job, especially since Ironwood always made a great effort to get to know his troops. The practice of knowing one's soldiers by name and background inspired fierce loyalty and good discipline in the ranks, but it also meant a great deal of pain at their loss.

And now he had to try to ease the grief of his dead soldiers' loved ones, although it was a mostly fruitless effort. He knew that much by now; this wasn't the first time Ironwood had needed to write letters to families of the fallen. It never got easier, but the last couple of months had been some of the most trying of his career as new confirmations of deaths came in each day and the KIA list grew.

Over 3,000 soldiers, including more than 800 aboard the fleet of ships he had brought to the Vytal Festival, had lost their lives defending Vale. Atlas' standing army of 150,000 could handle the losses logistically, but the gaps in the ranks still hurt to think about. Many Atlas citizens of both military and civilian backgrounds were calling for blood, eager for revenge against the White Fang.

Ironwood wanted payback just as badly as they did, but few people saw the larger problem of the other kingdoms' opinions from his perspective. Neither Mistral nor Vacuo had sent any requests for assistance with White Fang activity or Grimm attacks within their borders since Vale had been attacked. Any mobilization of his forces would only cast more suspicion on Ironwood and convince people that trouble was brewing, and thus he had ordered the majority of Atlas' military to remain on standby.

Except for his Special Operatives, of course. They could never remain idle after a crisis on the scale of Vale's invasion. All those brave men and women were still in the field, working harder than ever, and Ironwood needed to stay on top of things if he was to keep their respect. That respect was the only reason he could keep the hard-headed bunch in line.

With a sigh, he turned away from the window and back towards his desk, readying himself for another merciless day of dull paperwork and endless meetings. As he took a step towards the desk, however, something impacted against his window with a loud _thump_.

Ironwood's sidearm was in his left hand and halfway up before he even fully turned around, and he almost fired a shot through the glass before his sleep-deprived brain caught up. There was only a large black bird on the other side, fluttering around in a heap after flying head-on into the bottom pane. For a moment, Ironwood relaxed and lowered his weapon, wondering why a crow, or any bird for that matter, was still this far north in the winter season.

Then the coffee finished kicking in, and his eyes widened as he realized what he was seeing. He holstered his weapon and strode over to quickly yank the window open, a gust of bitterly cold air rushing into the room along with a flurry of snowflakes as the bird came tumbling into his office, beating its wings frantically and cawing, feathers flying every which way.

Ironwood shut the window quickly and stared at the door of his office, hoping Marron hadn't heard the commotion. After several moments passed without her checking on him, he relaxed somewhat and went over to punch a code into a panel near the door to soundproof the room. He turned to find the crow upright now, hopping along the carpeted floor and flapping its wings to clear the snow off its feathers.

"What are you _doing_ here, you crazy fool?" Ironwood hissed at the crow, keeping his voice down despite his precautions. The black bird hopped to the opposite corner of the office, cawing twice and tilting its head to blink its large eyes at Ironwood. Moments later, an eruption of swirling black energy filled the area where the crow stood.

No matter how many times he saw it, Ironwood would never get used to the sight of Qrow Branwen's transformation. There was no actual sound aside from papers on Ironwood's desk rustling and falling as air was pushed outwards in all directions from the dark mass. Larger and larger it grew, an orb of swirling tendrils of blackness that swelled as feathers fluttered out of the center.

Wisps of dark energy dissipated as they made contact with his desk or the bookcase on the far wall once the sphere reached the height of a man. Within it, the faint outline of the crow that had entered Ironwood's office became distorted, changing rapidly in size and shape as its proportions shifted to those of a human's.

The process only took a couple of seconds, and then all the black energy flew upwards, dissipating rapidly like smoke as it did. In its place knelt a tall man in a gray jacket and black shirt and pants, a long and tattered red cape flowing from his shoulders. On his back, the red handle of the heavy sword-scythe that never left his side was visible. His combed-back hair and grizzled stubble were faintly dusted with gray, but when Qrow stood, he stood tall and unbent, still full of the vigor of his younger days despite the alcohol he smelled of.

The dark circles under his eyes and dirty state of his clothes, however, made it clear that he had traveled far and without much rest.

Qrow stretched his arms for a moment and cracked his back before fixing Ironwood with his red-eyed gaze and smirking. "Crazy fool? Come on, Jimmy, not even a friendly hello?" he quipped in his usual raspy drawl.

"Not when you just fly into my office without warning. I have a secretary for a reason. If you need to see me, you ask and you wait."

"Really? You want your secretary and everyone else in the city knowing that we met?" Qrow pulled out the engraved, silver-brown flask that never left his side and took a swig of the alcohol within, wiping his mouth afterward. "The work we do is supposed to be discreet, you know. Setting up an appointment sort of ruins that whole idea."

"Oh, it's work you've come to me about? And here I was thinking you were out of alcohol and just flew in here looking to obtain some more."

Qrow just stared at Ironwood for a long moment, an awkward silence settling into the room. Ironwood finally looked down at the blue-carpeted floor, rubbing the neural connector on his forehead and sighing. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."

"Geez. You really should leave the sarcasm to your subordinates. You managed to make that both rude _and_ lame."

"As if you're one to pass judgement on rudeness," Ironwood retorted, but he nevertheless relaxed and moved back to his desk, sitting on the front of it as Qrow leaned back against the office wall and took another drink from his flask. "What's the situation in Vale?"

"Same as it's been since that Dragon thing that broke the CCTS disappeared into the north. The city's cleaning itself up a piece at a time; Glynda's overseeing all of that. Grimm attacks have slowed down for now. I thought you had people reporting back to you on that?"

"I fear some of those reports are… less than accurate at times. While my people do not blame me for the incident at the Vytal Festival, they believe I blame myself, and they take steps to shield me from the harsher details. I know you don't fear for my well-being like they do, however. Give me your honest opinion."

"You shouldn't have left." The words were sharp and sincere, and so unexpected by Ironwood that he could only stare in surprise as Qrow continued, "Vale's Huntsmen can barely keep on top of guarding isolated towns from the Grimm and escorting convoys. They can't stay coordinated without the CCTS's communications either. The Grimm are roaming freely, hitting places they'd usually avoid, and the Dragon is still out there somewhere. We really can't deal with either problem without your people's help."

"To stay in Vale was to invite war, you _know_ that! People across the world saw Atlesian machines killing innocents before being cut off. The other kingdoms would never stand for a continued occupation!"

"Since when have you ever thought about people's' opinions before acting?"

"Since my actions resulted in thousands of people being killed. Including my own." Ironwood's tone was low and grim, the pain of that terrible day resurfacing as he bowed his head and stared at the stack of consolation letters that still stood on his desk.

Something that might have been pity flashed across Qrow's face. An instant later, though, it was replaced by his usual grimace. "All the same, that Dragon only retreated _after_ it ate its fill of people, and your boys had to light it up big-time just to make it leave. We need that firepower back if we're gonna bring it down for real."

"There have been no further sightings?"

"None, but that doesn't mean it won't strike again. Considering its size, that Grimm has gotta be smart as hell. I have a feeling it's laying low so we'll be focused on Vale's other problems. We can't be caught off-guard when it gets hungry again."

"I'll see what I can do. I just… I can't make promises with the kingdoms' attitudes the way they are."

"Whatever. Do what you can. Anyway, you mind if I call in a favor?"

"Pardon me?"

"You owe me one and I'm calling it in. And hey, considering how I saved your hide in Vale—after you brought an army of hacked robots into our city, mind you—I should probably ask for a few more…"

Ironwood just glared at Qrow, so he grinned and gave it a rest. "Fine, fine. I came here to borrow some of your people as backup. I'm ditching the solo act for now."

"Backup? Why come here, then? I'd assume you'd ask other Huntsmen from Vale to help you."

"Nah. Everyone back home has enough trouble keeping the kingdom from falling apart any further. Looking for whoever Oz is now was priority, but protecting Vale from any more disasters is a close second, especially with our numbers stretched so thin. I figured your Specialists could be just as helpful, so I came to Atlas instead."

"I see. Concerning Ozpin, have you had any luck?"

"Nothing. No contact, no leads. At this point, we aren't gonna find him until he wants us to, so I figured it's time to try something else."

"Such as?"

Qrow's expression darkened as he muttered, "Since recovering Ozpin isn't an option, I'm gonna follow up on our final lead from Mistral and track down our biggest problem. I'll find the new Fall Maiden and cut her apart, piece by piece, until she finally decides to talk about what she's done and plans on doing. Then I'll take her back here and we'll rip that power right back out of her. I doubt I can pull it off alone, though. That's where your Specialists come in."

Ironwood leaned back, inhaling as he processed the other man's words. He hadn't heard the grizzled Huntsman speak with such violent intent in a while; Qrow was clearly more agitated than he was letting on, and desperate as well. He would never have come to Atlas for help otherwise.

"Do you recall that Cinder Fall—if that even is her name—defeated Ozpin in single combat? I know how skilled you are, but defeating her is outside of your abilities. The power of the Maidens is beyond any of us, even Glynda."

"Like I said, I don't plan on fighting alone. If I have some of your best people with me, I can take her alive and bring her back here to get the power switched to someone we can trust."

"I'm sure you understand that the idea of sending my Specialists to hunt down such a powerful enemy is not an enticing one."

"Maybe for you. I think I know who might enjoy that sort of thing."

"Oh, do you?" Ironwood tried to keep the sarcasm out of his tone, but it was difficult. "And just who might you be thinking of?"

"Schnee and the Khayn twins."

"...no. I'm sorry, but even if we told them the truth about the Maidens, which I'd rather we didn't, they're unavailable anyways."

"Look, I know Ice Queen and I don't mix well but I don't care, they're—"

"Unavailable, I said." Ironwood stood and grabbed a report off his desk, leaning forward and holding it out. Qrow moved away from the wall and took the paper from him, a frown growing on his face as he read its contents. "I ordered them to Mistral soon after Beacon fell, and that's the latest intel that Winter has sent back."

"This is..." Qrow looked up from the report, alarm now evident in his expression. "Has it really gotten that bad over there?"

"If not worse. We've clearly underestimated the White Fang's influence; this buildup may be even greater than what the reports indicate, _and_ it's only been a month. We have reason to believe they'll continue at this pace for a while longer before they make their move. I've been taking steps to prepare for the worst, which brings us back to the reason for your visit."

"'Scuse me?"

"You came here to ask for Winter, Kobal, and Blute as backup for your hunt. I can't give you them or any of my other Special Operatives right now, seeing as they're all reporting to Winter in Mistral, deployed on other assignments, or staying here to safeguard our kingdom. What I _can_ do is request that Winter provide you with any assistance possible once you've arrived at the city."

"I doubt she'll be all that eager to help me out if it's not a direct order."

"Her orders are to prevent a catastrophe like the one in Vale from occurring again. I won't make her choose between protecting Mistral and hunting down the Fall Maiden unless those two objectives happen to coincide. However, if a certain Specialist whose opinion we both value _and_ is privy to the Maidens' existence happened to be also be in Mistral right now..."

Qrow's brow furrowed as he placed the report from Winter back down on the desk. "Ochran? Really? You sent him away?"

"Winter asked for her core group of comrades to accompany her to Anima. That includes him. If you're there as well, I have no doubt he'll convince Winter to let him operate independently from the others when possible. The two of you could pursue the Fall Maiden then."

"Eh. Maybe that'll work, but I'll still need someone to back me up in a fight. I don't wanna roast the guy, but Ochran really can't do jack against the likes of a Maiden. Or most of the other enemies I'm likely to run into for that matter."

"I have every confidence that Lionheart could help you in that regard if you inform him of your task."

"I guess… and another thing, are you really fine with just leaving the relic of Atlas with one less person to keep it safe? Especially Ochran? What if the enemy sneaks in just like when they walked into Beacon under your nose?"

"If I relied on Ochran to track down every single traitor and spy in this kingdom, we'd already be overrun. Atlas can handle itself without him, and he'll do more good under Winter's command than mine anyway."

"That's pretty confident coming from the guy whose army of war machines got hijacked. You telling me something like that definitely won't happen here too?"

"R&D recovered and decoded that virus and initiated a whole slew of upgrades and safeguards for the Knights and Paladins. The enemy will not be so fortunate as to have our weapons under their control again. With our machines, our divisions, and the Specialists who will remain here, Atlas is safe and so is our relic. The threat is in Mistral, not here, so that's where our focus needs to be."

"…hmph. Well, if you say so." Qrow brought his flask up for another swig, only to frown and upend the container, shaking it in disappointment as a few small drops trickled out. "Dammit."

Without a word, Ironwood reached down and grabbed the bottle of bourbon from beneath his desk, refilling his own flask before handing it over to Qrow, who grinned and took the bottle so he could do the same.

"Thanks. I wasn't looking forward to making the trip to Anima while running on empty."

"You're leaving today?"

"Yeah. The plan was to ask for help and then head out and have you send my backup to meet me in Mistral. I have another team I need to link up with first."

"Another team? I thought you said none of the other Huntsmen of Vale could join you?"

"Well, yeah, they aren't Huntsmen. Not full-fledged ones at least."

"Clarify."

"Look, I sort of tipped off my younger niece and her friends about where the enemy's next move will be. Ruby and two others left at the same time I did. I took this detour while they're making the crossing to Anima, and I need to be back when they land. Someone's gotta keep an eye on them until they reach Mistral."

The questioning expression on Ironwood's face turned to incredulous disbelief as Qrow continued, "If I had done nothing they'd have gone eventually anyway. At least this way it's on my terms. I'm counting on them to help draw out the enemy, but, you know… I need to be there if they can't handle whatever fights are coming their way."

"You're really not joking, are you?"

"I know it's a little risky— "

"You're using your own niece as _bait!_ Ignoring her immeasurable value as the only silver-eyed warrior we know of, it's still madness to send a 15-year old girl into that mess! And the others… even if they were good enough to survive Beacon's fall, they're still getting in over their heads!" Ironwood's head sank into his hands; he felt utterly exhausted now. "Even for you, that was poorly thought out. Those children could very well be going to their deaths. Why…?"

Qrow held up a hand to silence Ironwood and looked down for a moment, letting out a long breath. "I have to find the Fall Maiden, no matter what, and this is the only thing that I know will work. Doesn't matter how the enemy responds, though; these kids are tough, they're pissed, and they're ready to fight. Trust me, they won't get hurt. Especially not when I'm backing them up."

"And what if the Fall Maiden comes after young Ruby with backup of her own?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Salem won't send her most important tool after a few kids."

"Have you already forgotten what Ozpin told us about her and the silver-eyed warriors? Salem _fears_ them, and she won't allow someone she fears to live for long." Ironwood looked Qrow right in the eyes, daring the Hunstman to look away again. "You've made a huge gamble here. I hope you can handle the consequences."

"There won't _be_ consequences." Qrow's grip tightened on his flask. "Anyone Salem sends after Ruby won't live long enough to regret it. I want to bring the Fall Maiden out of hiding, but if I gotta wipe out the rest of the bastards that Salem uses for her dirty work first… well, that's fine by me."

"If you're able," Ironwood muttered. It earned him a glower from Qrow that went unheeded; instead he asked, "Is there anything else you needed? A ship to bring you to Anima perhaps?"

"Nah, I'll fly myself out. Like I said, no one needs to know I was here." Qrow started walking towards the window, placing his flask back on his hip as he did.

"One last thing," Ironwood stated, causing the Huntsman to stop and turn. "Which of Ozpin's former students are accompanying your niece?"

"Uh… Valkyrie and Li, I think their names are."

"I see. So, the Nikos girl…"

"Still pretty messed up. She's not going anywhere soon."

"…we did wrong by her, Qrow."

"Yeah. We did."

"When you see her again, give her my regards… and my apologies for what she went through because of us."

Qrow locked eyes with him for a long moment before nodding with a small smile, turning back to the window, and pushing it open again. He vaulted over the windowsill, disappearing over the edge and leaving Ironwood alone with the stack of letters to the families of his dead men and the faint sound of wings beating the air. And, unfortunately, a mess of black feathers and fallen papers scattered across the carpet.

Ironwood sighed and knelt to start cleaning up before anyone entered his office and saw the mess.

 _(I really hope you know what you're doing, Qrow…)_

 **End of Chapter Two**

* * *

 _I hope you all read that in Vic's voice, the guy is an incredible voice actor._

 _I'll be working harder on this story as job season draws to a close, I hope to have chapter 3 out by the end of November. As always, thanks for reading, and if you want to let me know what you think through reviews/PM, feel free!_


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